Card Highlight: Demand Answers in Pauper

Demand Answers is an cost instant which, for the additional cost of sacrificing an artifact or discarding a card, allows its caster to draw two cards.

In Pauper, there are several effects just like this in cards that are staples in this format, like Faithless Looting.

Strategies like Reanimator and Madness are really concerned with discarding cards, but the examples above seem to be good enough choices to retain their status in the format, so how will Demand Answers find its place among so many cards that just seem better?

Artifacts and the graveyard are the pillars of Pauper currently. Cards like Relic of Progenitus and Cast Into the Fire are so prevalent precisely because this format is based around these pillars in such a way that it is difficult to find a deck that doesn't use any of these two themes.

There are even cards like Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve, which have become very popular in Mono-Red lists due to the value they can create with monastery Swiftspear, which was banned from this format recently.

Demand Answers stands out as a card advantage tool because its drawback brings versatility, which allows this card to fit into several strategies in which you would usually find one of the other cards I listed above.

In Mono-Red, for instance, this new card can easily replace one of the exile spells, considering it works well with artifacts and Mono-Red usually needs just a few lands to work - and that extra land that occasionally comes up when you're drawing first can be discarded for two new cards. Another factor that makes it possible to add this new card to red decks is that, in some situations, you might be missing mana to cast all spells exiled with Reckless Impulse, and that isn't a problem with Demand Answers because this card creates a pure draw by placing two cards in your hand.

Another positive Demand Answers brings to Mono-Red is that this archetype has many creatures that can extract even more value out of an instant speed draw 2, like Kessig Flamebreather and Dwarven Forge-Chanter.

Affinity is another strategy that works around artifacts in this format. Currently, the version with All That Glitters remains the most popular one, but even the more traditional versions focused on a Midrange/Control game plan can find space for this new red draw.

Artifacts like Experimental Synthesizer and Ichor Wellspring work really well with Demand Answers, enabling Affinity versions without Blue, replacing Thoughtcast. Some Boros lists using All That Glitters have come up as soon as this card came out, but they ended up not resisting the test of time. There was also a version of Rakdos Affinity that had Gixian Infiltrator as the main win condition, and this creature has great synergy with sacrifices.

Madness is also a mechanic that goes well with this new card. Rakdos Burn is a deck that was a bit forgotten in the metagame, but it can start coming up again in this metagame post-ban now that Midrange decks are popular again, swapping Deadly Dispute for Demand Answers.

Deadly Dispute is certainly one of the most powerful common cards released recently. It heavily impacted this format, enabling many strategies and being added to lists simply because of its power. It was many times compared to Ancestral Recall because of its absurd interaction with artifacts that create card advantage when they leave play, and for leaving a Treasure behind in this process.

Takdos Burn, even though it uses Deadly Dispute well, could extract even more value out of Demand Answers.

Demand Answers is a powerful card in Red and can find its space in a good number of decks due to its versatility. I don't believe it's a card that will harm this format or that it is too powerful. I also don't believe it will entirely replace other two mana draw options available in Pauper, but it is a card that can bring a lot to the right builds.

Another article is finished. I hope you liked it. Leave your questions or article suggestions in the comment section; I'll try to answer all. See you next time.